The Seventh Year
by avadakedavra101
Summary: What really happened in the final Hogwarts year for James and Lily. Love, feuds, and magic! Basically fluff...Enjoy!
1. Feuds and Frisbees

**Summary: The final year at Hogwarts for Lily and James Potter. My first piece of fluff. (:**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, this wonderful world belongs to the great JKR.**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: Feuds and Frisbees**

It was breezy summer day on the first day of September, and Lily Evans had just stepped on the Hogwarts Express.

_ "You're Head Girl this year, Lily. Make this count_." Lily thought to herself. Lily remembered how happy she had been when she received the letter at her house. She smiled at the thought of how happy her parents were, but her smile faded when she remembered how annoyed her older sister, Petunia was. Lily wandered around the train, and spent many fruitless minutes searching for the Head Boy.

"_I hope it's not that Ravenclaw boy. Absolutely awful. Maybe it's Diggory, from Hufflepuff. He's nice. Or maybe it will be Remus. Ugh, working with a Marauder. But if it had to be one of them, he could be the most bearable. Oh, where is he? Late on the first day." _Lily thought.

"Evans," came a cool voice behind Lily. "There you are. I think we should head up to the Prefects compartment for the meeting."

James Potter was standing inches from Lily, grinning more broadly than ever. He had changed significantly over the summer, and was now long and lanky, although his mane of black hair was still as messy and uncontrollable as ever. His round glasses were perched on the bridge of a slightly crooked nose, and his hazel eyes were gleaming with mischief. He was a lot more handsome than Lily had remembered, which caught her slightly off guard. His expressions, on the other hand, looked exactly the same as they had for the past six years. Lily's eyes glanced at the Head Boy badge that was gleaming on his chest, and immediately bubbled with anger at the boy she had hated since her first day at Hogwarts.

"Potter! What are you doing? Give that badge back to the Head Boy!" Lily screamed. "I don't have time for this!"

"No, I think you misunderstood. I'm Head Boy. Here, look at my letter, if you don't believe me." he said, still grinning.

James ruffled through his bag, and handed her a piece of parchment. Lily peered at it, and sure enough, it was exactly the one she had received at the beginning of the summer. She felt as though receiving this bit of news was worse than eating the vomit flavored Bertie Bott's Beans.

"What? How did this happen? I mean, he's...a _rogue_!" said Lily, muttering to herself.

"Well, I'm touched you think so highly of me. Seriously though, it's a shock to me too. Wonder who Confunded Dumbledore?" said James, his cocky grin still plastered on his face.

"Listen, Potter," said Lily. "Seeing as this is our last year, and more importantly, our N.E.W.T year, I can't be distracted by... well, basically, you. So, as Head Boy, no _funny business_."

"Lily, Lily, Lily. When have I ever been a troublemaker?" he replied with mock hurt, his eyes still gleaming.

"Oh, yes, Potter. You are the epitome of moral behavior." Lily snarled. "And stop calling me Lily. To you, it's Evans."

"Fine then, _Evans_. Are we gonna get to this meeting, or what?" said James, running a hand through his hair.

Lily curtly nodded, and walked confidently into the Prefect's compartment. James followed holding a Fanged Frisbee, which he let loose into the room. The Frisbee began to violently fly around the small room, and started to attack any piece of open flesh it could find. Everyone went wild, and Lily screamed at James. After finally immobilizing the flesh-eating toy, Lily turned her attention to the rest of the group.

"Sorry 'bout that," said James gruffly, looking at the floor.

"Yes, well. I apologize also for the _immature _behavior of the Head Boy. Best hope we don't see that during the year." Lily glared at James.

The two Heads briefed the Prefects, and Lily was surprised to see that James didn't waste the meeting planning pranks, and even told the Prefects their duties. Once the meeting ended, though, James wasted no time in leaving the compartment as fast as he possibly could.

"Hey, James!" Lily called after him, as he rushed ahead, presumably to find the rest of the Marauders.

"Stop calling me James. To you, it's Potter." he said, running his hand through his hair, and winking.

"Haha. Funny. Nice to see we're all real mature here." said Lily with no humor in her voice. "Well, I wanted to say that other than the incident with the Frisbee, the meeting went mostly okay. What I mean is, _you _were okay." " she said, slightly confused, or rather, angry with herself.

What was causing her to say this? Why was Lily Evans telling James Potter that he was doing something right for once in his life? All Potter had done was make her life more difficult since their first year at Hogwarts. With his incessant habit of asking her out, and his annoying group of friends, James had done nothing to deserve her compliments, or even the time of day. Yet something was different this year. She couldn't put her finger on it, and quite frankly, this feeling made her worried. She had hated James since Day One, and she wasn't going to mess things up.

"What? Did I hear you right? Did Lily Evans just tell me that I managed to do something right?" James said, with a shocked expression.

"Shut up. I just might take it back." said Lily, rolling her eyes.

"Calm down, Evans. No unfriendly feelings here okay?"

"All right Potter. Because for the last six years, we've just been the best of friends, right?"

"There's the spirit!" said James, smiling as wide as he possibly could.

Lily rolled her eyes, and together, they headed back to their compartments. James' hazel eyes looked around in all the compartments, presumably looking for the rogues he usually spent all his time with; the Marauders.

"Oi! Prongs, here!" said Sirius Black, James' best mate. "Evans, it's a pleasure to see you as always. We were actually just talking about the biggest killjoy around. Funny how you showed up, isn't it?"

"Shut up, Padfoot," said James. "Don't talk to her like that." But Sirius just grinned, and looked at Lily with a comical look.

"Oh okay, James. Just because you're in love with her doesn't mean we all are."

James' didn't respond, and just stared at the floor. Lily however, had heard just about enough.

"I'd try and insult you, Black, but you're simply not bright enough to notice." she said pleasantly.

And with that, Lily spun on her heel, and walked towards her own friends. James caught up with her soon enough, and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Hey, Evans. I'm sorry about what he just said. He's been off his rocker recently... or, actually, he was never on his rocker. Just don't pay attention," said James, in an apologetic voice.

"No, _Potter_. I can't just not "pay attention". You and your Marauder friends. You're all the same aren't you? Arrogant toerags, thinking you're better than everyone. Well, you're not! Sirius is a jerk, and you are just like him, if not worse! And I can't believe that I actually thought for a second that you may be changing this year!" finished Lily.

"Oh, okay Evans. If that's what you think." his face slightly flushing.

He turned around and headed back to his compartment, where Sirius, Remus, and Peter looked at him solemnly and apologetically.

"Sorry, mate. That was bang out of order. Rotten luck." said Sirius.

"Yeah, seem to be having a lot of that." said James, staring at the approaching castle out the window.

* * *

**Kinda short... sorry! How's the beginning? Reviews welcome!**


	2. Truces and Transfiguration

**CHAPTER TWO: Truces and Transfiguration**

The feast in the Great Hall was as magnificent as ever. Once everyone had eaten as much as they possibly could, Professor Dumbledore stepped up to the podium.

"Now that you all have been fed and watered, I would like to make a few start-of-term announcements. First, the Dark Forest is off-limits to all students. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that all Zonko's products are banned in Hogwarts. A proper list of other banned items can be found on Mr. Filch's office door. Second, Quidditch try-outs will be held this Wednesday on the pitch; please contact your Captain or Prefects for more information. Third, I would like the Head Boy and Girl to please meet me in my office for a brief meeting. I really do love toffee éclairs. And lastly, classes will start tomorrow promptly after breakfast. Now, off to bed! Pip, pip!"

As she was about to leave the Great Hall, James caught her eyes. He mouthed the words,

"_Want to walk together?_"

Lily shook her head, and set off to Dumbledore's office her face stony and cold. When she reached the gargoyle, she said

"Toffee Éclairs!"

who in turn, granted her entrance. She walked through the winding staircase, and pushed the door open to find herself in the headmaster's office. James wasn't there yet, so she awkwardly sat in the chair as the Headmaster beamed at her.

"Ah, Miss Evans. May I offer you a lemon drop?" said Dumbledore, smiling.

Lily graciously accepted, happy to have something to do with her mouth to avoid awkward conversation. At this point, the brass knobs on the handsomely carved wooden door turned, and James walked in, his face slightly apologetic. Dumbledore seemed to understand.

"No matter, no matter." smiled Dumbledore, waving his hands. "Come in, come in Mr. Potter. I wish to be brief, as I am sure you are both sleepy. First, I would like to congratulate you on becoming Head Boy and Girl. After careful consideration and deliberation, we have picked the two of you, and we have no doubt that you will both carry out your tasks to the best of your abilities. That being said, you will be in charge of patrolling the castle Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. The prefects from each house will be responsible for Monday through Thursday, one House per night. In addition, you will also be in charge of the common room passwords, and can change them as often as you would like. However, I must remind you that if this power is abused"--he looked straight at James with a chuckle--"then it will be taken away. And lastly, please organize meetings with the prefects every few months. These can be brief, but should remind the prefects of their duties every now and then, and be a chance for them to express any concerns. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask myself or any other teacher. I am sure you will both do a fine job. Now, off to bed!"

Lily glanced at James, who was still avoiding her eyes, and back at Dumbledore. She smiled, and made her way back through the door, starting to walk toward the dormitories. A few moments later, she heard James make his way through the staircase too. She was just about to turn the corner, when she heard James call out her name.

"Hey Evans! I'm really sorry about what happened on the train. I'm sorry about what Sirius said, I'm sorry about what I said, and I'm sorry about the Frisbee," he finished with a smile. "But, listen, I think that we shouldn't start on the wrong foot, because well, we have to spend our Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays patrolling the castle together every week. So, what do you say? Truce?" he said hopefully, sticking his hand in the air.

Lily looked at him, and his pathetic stance, and couldn't help but crack a smile of her own.

"Okay, Potter. Truce. But again, no more asking me out, and no more funny business." she said, shaking his hand. A spark went through her hand, and Lily blushed furiously. She dropped his hand, and cleared her throat. James, however, was unaffected by this.

"I promise I won't ask you out, because I know that nothing can ever happen between us." said James, his voice and face displaying traces of hurt. "As for the funny business, once a Marauder, always a Marauder. Sorry." he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further.

Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

"Okay then. I'll see you Friday before patrolling. We can meet in the Common Room."

"Okay, sounds good."

Lily nodded, and started to make her way back to the dormitory. She turned around again and said,

"Oh, James, because of our newly named truce, I've decided you can call me Lily." and kept walking without noticing the huge grin that was starting to form on James' face.

* * *

The first couple of days back to Hogwarts were no picnic for Lily. Always finishing her homework first, and receiving top marks, even the star student was having difficulty coping with seventh year. She was buried under homework, and rarely surfaced from the library. One night in the Common Room, as was about to start a particularly nasty Transfiguration essay, she realized she didn't understand anything. She referred to her notes, but she had no idea how to form an essay on the Principles of Re-materialization. At that moment, James walked in through the portrait hole, and saw her struggling with her homework.

"Oi, Evans! You okay?" he said, knowing that she was _so _not okay.

"Does it look like I'm okay Potter? Arghh! I hate McGonagall."

"Hey, no need to dis Minnie! What's up?"

"This damned essay, Principles of Re-materialization. Think I'd rather pitch myself off the Astronomy tower. Ruddy paper, who needs to know about re-materialization anyway? And quite frankly, who even GIVES A DAMN?" Lily Evans had cracked.

James, who was silently taking all of this in, backed away with his hands in front of him.

"Okay Evans. Let's just calm down. It's not that bad. I'm pretty good at Transfiguration. Do you need some help?"

Lily snorted.

"From you, hardly. Astronomy Tower still sounding pretty good."

"Oh, okay then. Good luck."

Lily looked at Transfiguration essay, and back at James. She sighed, and figured it was either getting help from James, or failing. And that was _not _an option.

"Fine." she said, rather stiffly.

"I'm sorry, what? You want me to do what?" said James, cocky grin plastered back on his face.

"Fine! I'll play along! Your help, Potter! I need your ruddy help!"

"Alright, Lily. Since you're begging. Let the record show that Lily Evans has just asked James Potter for help on homework." he said, still smiling.

Lily rolled her eyes, and with that, they both made their way towards the couches near the fireplace. They opened their books, and started to work. Lily didn't want to admit it, but James was a great tutor. He was patient with her, and never made her feel like she didn't know enough. Occasionally, Lily couldn't help but notice really how grown up James looked. More than once she caught herself staring at him; his perfect face, the way his hair carelessly looked great, his glasses that covered deep hazel eyes. No longer did she think that his face was the most annoying thing in the world, but instead she thought that he was attractive, which caused her to mentally reprimand herself. They worked late into the night, and Lily finally had a finished essay.

"Oh my goodness! It's nearly two o'clock!" said Lily after glancing at her watch. "We better get to bed."

"Sure," replied James.

Lily gathered up her books, and started up the winding staircase towards her dormitory. She took a couple of steps, but then she marched back to James, who was still in the empty Common Room.

"James? Thanks for all the help. I could have never finished it without you." she said, and she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, sure, it was no problem." he said, blushing deeply.

"So, I'll see you here tomorrow for our first patrolling session?" she asked.

"Yes, we can meet here after dinner. The password is now 'fizzing whizzbee'" said James.

Lily nodded, and went back up the staircase, thinking about why the heck she did that.

* * *

**reviewssss?**


	3. Patrolling and Parties

**CHAPTER THREE: Patrolling and Parties**

Lily and James' first patrolling session went well, as neither one annoyed the other. It was an unspoken fact that the kiss of last night was not to be mentioned. Despite the awkward tension in the air, James wasted no time in starting the conversation.

"Well, my family has been in Gryffindor since they can remember, and my parents are really happy that Sirius is too, now that he's living with us. I can't imagine a Slytherin in our house," James chuckled. "Then again, my parents like that bloke so much, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Why is Sirius living with you?" asked Lily.

"Oh, well, he's different than the rest of his family. You know, with them being in Slytherin and all. This summer his mum said something that really set him off the edge. So he ran away and came round our place. My parents were more than happy to have him," said James shrugging.

They continued to talk, Lily explaining her Muggle life outside Hogwarts ("So your mum washes the dishes by _hand_?" said James incredulously.) and her family, before reaching the Common Room again.

As Lily went to bed that night, she smiled to herself. She had managed to last a night with James Potter without wanting to hex his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and he had managed to keep a conversation with her without being a complete prat.

* * *

The first few weeks of term went by fairly fast, James and Lily continuing their patrolling duties. Today was Gryffindor's first Quidditch match, and James, as Captain, had made Lily promise that she would come. As she went to go leave for the pitch, she noticed the flyers for Slughorn's annual "Slug Club Winter Party". With a new worry in her mind, Lily set through the portrait hole, wearing her red and gold.

The game was intense, and finished with James catching the Snitch, **(a/n I know that according to many people James plays Chaser, but I kept him playing Seeker like in the movie.) **giving Gryffindor it's first victory. After the match, Lily made her way down to the pitch, where a few girls were fawning on James, and complimenting his Quidditch skills.

"Oh, James, you flew so well! You are the best Captain Gryffindor has had in years!"

"James, I heard that you're great at Transfiguration. Care for a study partner?"

"Your form was perfect during the game!"

"Thanks, ladies." James replied, not looking particularly interested.

"Hey James, I was wondering if you had a date to Slughorn's party. If you didn't, maybe you would want to go with me?" an attractive blonde batted her eye lashes.

James smiled, and opened his mouth to say yes, before he was interrupted by Lily.

"No, I'm sorry if there's been a misunderstanding. James can't go to Slughorn's with you because, well, he's going with, uh, me."

"Wait, what?" said James incredulously, a grin forming on his face. .

"I _said_ we're going to Slughorn's together! See you in the Common Room."

And she marched off the pitch.

* * *

"Hey, Evans! What was that all about?" demanded James later that evening in the Common Room.

Lily knew that he would come, and ask her about her behavior. She was dreading it, actually. Because in reality, she really didn't know what she would tell him. _Why did I tell everyone that I was going with him? Why didn't I just let him go with that girl?_ Lily knew the answer, but she didn't want to admit it. She was starting to have feelings for James Potter, and she was truly jealous of the girl who had tried to ask him to Slughorn's party. But Lily couldn't admit that, not now. Not after she had learned to hate him. Every little thing that he did set her off the edge. Saying no to James Potter was something that came naturally to Lily, and she was not about to suddenly change the order of the universe. She consoled herself by telling her this was just a party, and it would instigate to nothing. Anyway, James had already agreed to the fact that nothing would ever happen between them, and that he had given up on her. She would last through Slughorn's party, and go back to hating him like she had the past six years. She looked up and James and tried to phrase an acceptable answer.

"I just thought that we should go together, because we're the Heads and all. I mean, just as friends." she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really? I thought it was because you were jealous." smirked James.

"Of course not, Potter. I merely thought it was more practical." she retorted.

"All right then. I'll meet you in the Common Room the night of. We can walk together." he said with slight skepticism.

Lily nodded, and went back to doing her homework, still confused at what she had done.

* * *

Lily looked at herself in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect. Her green dress fit her body perfectly, and her hair was shiny and curly. For some reason, it was important for her to look her best in front James. With one last fleeting look, she headed down the stairs, hoping to see James on time. And there he was, looking taller and more handsome than ever.

"Oh, there you are James. So should we head down?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." he replied, clearly at a loss for words.

Together they made their way through the portrait hole, and down towards the dungeons.

"Um, I didn't mention it earlier, but you look really beautiful tonight, Lily," murmured James.

"Thanks, James. You look good too," said Lily before blushing a deep red.

They arrived at the party, where they were greeted by Slughorn himself.

"Oh, James and Lily! I am so happy you could come! Come in, come in! Do enjoy yourselves!" he boomed before doing a little dance to the music.

"I think Slughorn's a little too excited. I don't think he understands he isn't exactly the 'life of the party'," James smirked, causing Lily to laugh. "So do you want to go get something to drink?" he asked, gesturing towards the table towering with food.

"Sure," said Lily, leading the way.

As they walked over to the table to get their pumpkin juice, a slow song started to play on the record.

"Hey Evans, do you want to dance with me?" James asked, nodding at the dance floor.

"I, uh, don't really--"

"Lily, it's just a dance, I'm not asking you to marry me." he smiled before running his hand through his hair.

"Shut up, Potter! One dance, I guess." she said with a small laugh.

They made their way to the dance floor, and Lily held a very tightened grip on James.

"Lily, just relax. And trust me, I'm not that bad a dancer."

James took her hand, and set the other on his shoulder, and put his own on her waist. They began to move with the music, and danced through the song. When the next one began, James let go of her hand, and put it on her waist, and Lily found her hands meeting around his neck. They danced through this song, and the next one as well. Suddenly, Lily realized what she was doing. Her hands snapped off his neck, and she shook herself so that she could get a grip. _You hate him. He's annoying and arrogant. _She walked away from James, leaving him on the dance floor.

Lily made her way through the crowd of people, and ran out into the corridor. Her breath was shaky, and she just wanted to get away from everything. James hurriedly followed suit and caught up with her near the Potions storage closet.

"Lily! What's wrong? I mean, I don't really fancy being ditched in the middle of a song." said James slightly out of breath.

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath before talking. "Look, I know what you're doing Potter. You're hoping that I fall for you. But I won't. After six years, I won't just be able to fall in love with you. We're barely even friends. And we will _never _be more than that. Ever." Lily enunciated properly, hoping that them dancing together did not imply anything more than just a friendship. "So stop obsessing over me." The last part had slipped her lips before she could do anything about it.

"Damn it, Lily! You don't get it do you? It was _you _who asked me to Slughorn's. It was you who was jealous, and don't even bother denying it. I'm not doing anything Lily. What you're doing, it's all _you_."

And in that instant, Lily knew that was true. This wasn't his fault. She was maliciously stringing him along, because she knew that he would be only too happy to follow the girl he had loved since first year. She was taking out her anger of feeling this way on him, and she knew it was wrong.

"Well, I want to thank you for an almost great night. I'm going to go to bed now." James looked like he was frustrated, and sad. She had never seen him like this before.

He started to walk towards the dormitories without noticing the tears that had started to well in Lily's eyes.

* * *

**awww poor james! reviews?**


	4. James' Confession

**CHAPTER FOUR: James' Confession**

For the next few days, the duo just ignored each other. James did not come running after Lily, which made her slightly upset, although she had no right to expect him to. However, the two still had to meet for patrolling, and the awkwardness in the air was palpable. Finally, one night while they were roaming the Astronomy Tower, Lily broke silence.

"We can talk, you know. Just because we're not dating doesn't mean we can't speak to each other."

"Really? I hope you don't think that I'm obsessed with you if we hold a conversation." James replied bitterly.

Lily sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. What happened that night was wrong, and it was all my fault. You were right. I'm sorry."

James addressed the floor as he spoke. "I forgive you."

A playful smile started to form on Lily's face. "I'll make it up to you. You can tell me to do anything, and I won't refuse. It's just... James, please don't use this to your advantage," she added carefully.

At this, his whole face lit up. "I have just the thing. Meet me in the Common Room tomorrow when we go for patrolling tomorrow," he said. "It'll be great."

* * *

Lily arrived in the Common Room, and saw that James was waiting for her.

"Shall we start at the Tower again?" she asked him.

"Oh, we're not patrolling tonight." he said with a smirk.

"What? I don't think we should be taking advantage of our responsibilities…"

"Nope, you promised. You have to come with me."

"Oh, I suppose one night couldn't hurt...all right." she said, finally surrendering. "Where are you taking me?"

James smiled, and covered her in his invisibility cloak. After checking to make sure their feet were hidden, he smiled again, and took her hand before saying, "Follow me."

He led through through this way and that, through sweeping doors and winding staircases before stopping in front of an empty wall. He let the cloak fall to the floor, and let go of her hand. He stared at the wall, and then started to pace in front of it.

"You wanted to show me a wall?" Lily scoffed.

He put a finger up to his lips, motioning her to be quiet. He looked at the wall as though he was concentrating, and before long, a door appeared in the wall. James looked back at her.

"You first," he said with his cocky grin.

Lily stepped through the threshold, and entered a small, comfortable looking room. There was a fireplace, along with some tables and couches.

"I welcome you to the Room of Requirement!" James announced proudly.

"The Room of Requirement." Lily repeated slowly. "What is the Room of Requirement?"

"It pops up whenever a person has real need of it. It is always equipped with what the person needs. Me and Sirius found it third year," said James.

"Real need of it. What's your need?" Lily eyed James curiously.

"I needed a place to hang out with you," James shrugged, heading over to the couch.

Lily followed him, and they awkwardly sat on the love seat. James waved his wand, and two butterbeers appeared on the coffee table in front of them, along with some cakes, tarts, and pies. Lily, thankful for the distraction, took one of the butterbeers, happy to have something to do with her mouth. James smoothly started the conversation, which happened to be about Quidditch. This led to transfiguration, which led to Hogsmeade, which led to Muggle action figures. Lily realized how easy it was to talk to James, much easier than other boys. He made her laugh, and every time he ran his hand through her hair, Lily's stomach flipped over. Just for today, Lily shut up the voice that always reminded her she was supposed to hate him. After what seemed like hours, she glanced at her watch.

"Goodness! Look at the time! I should head back," she said.

"No, don't go! It's not that late," James said suddenly.

"No, James, we really should head back."

"Look, Lily, its really not that late. We don't have to go back now." For some reason, James looked more weary now, and different than before.

"What's going on James? Is there something you need to tell me?"

James put his head in his hands before speaking.

"Oh God, this isn't how I wanted to do this. I wanted to do this better. I don't think I can now…"-he shook his head- "but no, I need to get it out." He took a deep breath. "Lily, I love you. I know we can't be more than friends, and that you don't want to be. But even though we've been through all of this, I'm more sure than ever. I love you, Lily."

Lily just stared at him, dumbfounded. Finally, her mouth seemed to unglue itself so it could talk.

"But you said you'd give up! You weren't going to do this anymore! I saw you flirting with that blonde girl in the Common Room the other day!"

"Lily, don't you understand? Sure, I've tried to get over you by dating other girls, but it's never worked out! Haven't you noticed how I'm never with the same girl for more than a week at most? It's because I can't get over the fact that they don't have red hair! Or that their eyes are the same green as yours! Or that they aren't as smart, sweet, or stubborn as you! I can't date any other girl because_ they're not you_!" he finished with a crazed look in his eyes.

"James, I-i-i, just want us, t-to…" Lily ran out of the room before finishing her sentence.

* * *

In the following days, Lily decided that she would avoid James completely. By focusing solely on schoolwork, she would shut out Potter, and what he had told her in the Room of Requirement, from her mind. But as hard as she tried, she could not forget what James had said to her. _I love you, Lily. I'm more sure than ever. I love you_. Moreover, Lily had not decided what her reaction would be when James did confront her. On one hand, Lily had noticed a change, and she did like to spend time with him. On the other, he was terribly annoying, with his arrogant attitude and conceitedness. By staying clear of him, Lily could give herself more time to figure out what she wanted.

Later that night in the Common Room, Sirius approached Lily while she was doing her homework.

"So, what's the deal with you and James? 'Cause to be honest, he's been acting like a right lovesick pansy for the past few days," said Sirius. "I mean, he said _no _to blowing up the Slytherin's toilets. James. As in, Potter. My best mate." he added as though he was worried his point had not been made.

"Nothing. We just had a conversation, and that was it." said Lily, focusing on her work.

"Listen, Eva--uh, Lily. Can you please talk to him and figure out what's wrong? I'd really like to have a mate who's not a complete vegetable. Thanks."

And with that, he found the rest of the Marauders, and made his way through the portrait hole.

Lily watched him leave, and stared into the fireplace. Why couldn't she just like James? He was sweet, smart, good looking; basically the qualities every girl looked for. In fact, _he_ waswhat every girl looked for. James Potter was the most popular guy at Hogwarts, and out of all the girls he could have, he had chose Lily. Lily Evans. The only girl out of the hundreds of others that had turned him down. He was telling her that he loved her, and she had run out of the room. She thought about James, and looked for a reason to hate him, like she had so done for the past six years. But nothing came to mind. He had not hexed anyone for the fun of it this year, and he had hardly gloated about being Quidditch captain, or receiving top marks in his classes, at least in front of her. James Potter hadn't been a prat to her, and at that moment, it was all the mattered to Lily.

She was going to tell him. Lily Evans was going to tell James Potter that she too, had feelings for him. She was finally going to stop being level headed, and think everything through all the time. She wanted to be James' girlfriend, and she liked him too. She smiled slightly, and thought, _He always does get what he wants.]_

_

* * *

**Yay! Finally! Next chapter... a little run in with Severus! Uh-oh... Review please!**_


	5. Together At Last

**CHAPTER FIVE: Together at Last**

The next morning, Lily woke, and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. James was sitting there, shuffling his toast from one side of his plate to the other. Lily didn't look back once, and made her way to where he was sitting. She tapped him on the shoulder, and smiled slightly.

"Listen, I need to tell you something." she said.

"Yeah, go ahead," he said looking up at her solemnly.

"No, not here. I want to tell you somewhere alone." She smiled.

She motioned him to follow her, and led him into the empty courtyard by the Charms classroom. Before she could tell him anything, James began to talk.

"Listen Lily. I know why you've called me here. It's to talk about that night in the Room of Requirement. But I want you to know, that when I told you I loved you, I didn't expect you reciprocate the feeling. It was just how I felt. I don't want you to feel like you have to feel the same way too. And I appreciate that you decided to tell me this while we were alone, I don't really fancy being slapped in the middle of the Great Hall." he said with an attempt at a smile. "So go ahead, you can hit me, and we'll forget this ever happened."

"James! Just let me talk. I didn't come here to hit you, and I'm not mad at you. I came here to tell you me too."

"Me too?" said James incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"I feel the same way too. I love you too." she said shyly, eyeing the floor. Suddenly, Lily heard a slap, and she looked up at James to see his eyes popping out of his head.

"WHAT? Did I hear you right? No, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming." James slapped himself again. "Padfoot will come a wake me up any second now." he said shaking his head.

"No, James! This is real. I love you too. And are you missing being slapped so much that you're now doing it to yourself?" Lily said with a smile.

"What? No way. I don't believe it." he said, eyes still a few inches out of his head.

"Well, maybe this will help," said Lily, and she leaned in and pressed her lips softly to his mouth.

James responded with so much enthusiasm that Lily was lifted several inches off the ground. When they finally broke apart, James looked as though Christmas had come early.

"Oh my GOD! You have _no _idea how long I've wanted to do that! So, does this make you my girlfriend?"

"Well, I suppose it does," said Lily, giving a small laugh.

James laughed with her, and hugged her tightly before looking at her. He obviously had a pressing question. "Why, Lily? Don't get my wrong, I am _more _than thrilled, but why now? I want this to be your decision _completely_. Don't feel like you have to... because of me, _er_, I mean..."

"Listen James. I realized that after six years, _I_ was the toerag. You're amazing James, funny, and sweet and smart. And I asked myself, why am I saying no to you anyway? Is it because I genuinely don't like you, or is because it's just in my system to turn you down? And I realized that it was latter, and that didn't seem like a good enough reason. So, here I am, finally in love with you." she finished with a small smile.

"And what a great day it is. I can't believe it. Lily Evans has finally given in!" he exclaimed.

"I have my moments," said Lily, before she was cut off by James kissing her.

* * *

When James and Lily walked back into the Great Hall holding hands, Sirius took one look, and fell out of his chair. Remus took his goblet of water, and poured it all over Sirius's face. He sputtered awake, and goggled at James, and then Lily, both of whom smiled broadly at him. The couple sat down with the rest of the Marauders, and Sirius took a few deep breaths before asking them what exactly had happened.

"We're going out," said Lily casually, tossing a grape in her mouth.

Sirius's mouth made a perfect "O" shape, and he looked at James for a better explanation.

"What can I say, Padfoot mate, it's a big shock to me too," said James, ruffling his hair.

"James said he loved me- oh Sirius, _honestly_- and I thought about it, and realized I did too," Lily said flipping through the _Daily Prophet_.

Lily smiled at James, and gave him a small peck on the lips. This caused Sirius to fall out of his chair once again. He regained composure, and cleared his throat several time before speaking.

"All right, Prongs! We knew you'd get to snog her some day!" he said finally, patting James on the back.

"Way to go, mate! Finally. I never thought I'd live to see this day." said Remus grinning broadly.

Peter managed a weak, "Yeah, nice going,"

Lily laughed, and pretty soon the rest joined in. Why hadn't she done this so many years ago? Even the Marauders weren't so bad. Lily shook all the previous thoughts of hatred out of her head, and just focused on James. He was a great guy, and he really loved her. Lily began to feel that she was going to be happy with him no matter what.

* * *

There was only one person at Hogwarts who was immensely unhappy at the fact that James Potter was dating Lily Evans. Severus Snape glanced back from the Slytherin table to see Lily laughing and talking to the Marauders, and immediately felt his insides clench. He slammed his fists down on the table, causing several first years to run in terror. He gathered his bag, and caught up with James and Lily just as they were leaving the Great Hall.

"Oh, look who's a couple now! It's Jamesy Potter and Little Miss Evans!" said Severus mockingly.

"Shut up, Snivellus. Have you missed me hexing you so much that you want me to do it again?" snarled James.

"Oh, now I'm scared! Jamesy is going to hex me!" said Severus, pulling out his wand.

James pulled out his own wand before saying, "Stay away Snivelley. Don't you dare touch Lily."

"Would you look at that! Jamesy is defending his Mudblood girlfriend!" said Snape with a smile.

That smile however, only stayed on his face for a spilt second, because James had hit him with a curse that caused his two front teeth to enlarge grotesquely. Snape faltered back, feeling around his mouth for his two beaver like teeth, and stared straight at James.

"You. Are. _Never_. To. Call. Her. That. Again." said James through gritted teeth.

"No James! He's not worth it! Let's just go." said Lily, pulling James towards their classroom.

"Well there you are Potter." Snape was having difficulty talking because of his enormous teeth. "It looks like your Mudblood girlfriend is defending _you_! You're not even capabl--"

Snape never got to finish his sentence, because at that moment, Lily had walked over and punched him on the nose.

"Shut up, _Snivellus. _Don't you dare talk about me or James like that ever again!" screamed Lily, her hair flying everywhere.

James looked at her, and grinned. The rest of the Marauders had arrived at the scene by now, and were cheering at Lily and screaming well done. Lily managed to smile weakly, and sank into a nearby bench. James walked over to Snape, where he was lying on the floor with a bloody nose, and front teeth twice their normal size.

"Well look at that Snivellus! Looks like my girlfriend can manage you without any help! Good luck explaining this to Madam Pomfrey, beavis!" said James triumphantly, and Snape got up and gruffly turned into the Hospital Wing.

James watched Snape go by, but soon turned his attention to where Lily was sitting; her face was white and her expression fixed. James took her hand, and tried to say words of comfort.

"He had it coming, you know. He can only expect to call you that so many times without you losing it at him," he said.

"No! I can't believe I did that. Severus was my only friend back in the Muggle world. I can't believe I just did that to him!" said Lily, shaking her head.

"Listen to me Lily. It doesn't matter if he was your friend. You are never to let anyone call you that, all right? If that was Sirius, I don't care. You should do the same thing to him as you did Snape." said James.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, let's just try and forget about it. Come on, we have to get to the dungeons. Potions first." said Lily with an attempt at a smile.

"Yeah, let's go," said James, before he bent down to kiss Lily.

Lily returned the kiss, and smiled at him. He really did know how to make her feel better. They had barely been a couple for a half and hour, and James was already proving to be a great boyfriend. Lily knew she didn't regret her decision at all. James smiled back before taking her hand, and leading her to her class.

* * *

**Sorry about the corny ending... ;) Next chapter... Lily meets the Potters! Review, please!**


	6. Meeting the Potters

**CHAPTER SIX: Meeting the Potters**

In the following days, Lily and James both were far too busy to see each other for more than a few hours. The homework was piling up for Lily, and James was busy with Quidditch. However, the two made the best of it, until finally, things slowed down in time for Christmas break. One morning, James received a letter from his parents at breakfast.

"James? Is everything okay? What does the letter say?" asked Lily, slightly worried.

"Oh, everything is fine... Mum and Dad were just wondering if..." he said, looking slightly embarrassed.

Lily snatched the letter out of his hand, and began reading.

_ Dear James,_

_ We are so happy that you and Lily are finally together. It had to happen at last, didn't it? Your father and I were hoping that she would be able to join us for the holidays, it would be just wonderful to meet her after all you've told us about her. Be sure to pass the invitation along. If she could come, we'd be just delighted. Otherwise, we'll see you and Sirius anyway. Have a lovely rest of the week, popkin, we'll see you on Saturday. _

_ Love,_

_ Mum and Dad_

"You've told them a lot about me?" Lily smirked.

"Well, I mean, I've only loved you since I was 'round eleven. So, yeah, things slip."

"Well, I'd love to." said Lily

"Wait--What?" asked James incredulously.

"I'd love to meet your mum and dad! And by the looks of the letter, they'll be happy to see me too! It's perfect. Unless, you'd rather I didn't..." said Lily.

"What? No, no! It's not that. It's just..." he looked rather sheepish. "Mum's kind of embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? I highly doubt that." said Lily seriously.

"You haven't seen her around Sirius... it's like he's her little Prince. Honestly think that woman loves him more than me."

"It honestly can't be that bad." said Lily, shaking her head.

"You'll see."

* * *

And see she did. As soon as Lily stepped off the Hogwarts Express, she was greeted by James' doting mother, who, indeed, made a beeline straight for Sirius, pulling him and James into a bear hug.

"How are you, Sirius darling? Have they been feeding you well? Obviously not, you've gotten so thin! I'll be having a word with Dumbledore about this. But don't you worry, we'll get you all fed up once again! And Jamesy! It's so good to see you popkin! How are you? And my, my! This must be Lily! Well, James has told us all about you! You're even prettier than he described you! Oh, can my little boy pick them! Oh, our grandchildren will be just beautiful!"

James face reddened and he started shaking his head at the floor. Lily, however, found this all rather amusing than offensive.

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Potter, you're far too kind," began Lily.

"Oh, call me Alice! She's modest too!" said Mrs. Potter embracing Lily.

"Calm down, Alice! Let the girl breathe!" said Mr. Potter, putting a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Hello, Lily. I'm Nicholas Potter, it's so nice that you could spend the holidays with us! Shall we head home then?"

"Yes, yes, let's go!" said Alice before beginning to fuss with Sirius again.

The Potters lived on an estate of a few hundred acres, and their house, by the looks of it, covered most of the land. As soon as Lily Apparated on the front step, she looked at the grand but comfortable home and loved it instantly. She stepped through the threshold and found herself in a comfortable looking living room. The rest of the family followed, and Sirius made a beeline for the kitchen.

"James, why don't you show Lily to her room, and then we can meet in the sitting room to talk." said Nicholas, handing Lily's bags to James.

"Mm-Okay." said James, before grabbing Lily's hand and zooming her up the stairs.

At the end of the stairs, there was a long corridor, with around half a dozen doors leading into different rooms. James led Lily into one, and she found herself in a bedroom suite, and James dropped the bags and wrapped her in his arms.

"I hope you'll be fine here," said James.

"Yeah, seeing as this room can fit about fifteen people, I should be fine." smiled Lily.

"Good. Mum said to make sure your completely..."

James couldn't finish his sentence, because at that moment, Lily had decided to throw herself at him with a big, sloppy kiss. At that moment, Sirius walked in the room holding half a dozen Cauldron Cakes in his hand, and saw the two snogging.

"Oi! Eels, Alice said to come downstairs! Prongs, let's get it going, eh, mate?" said Sirius, standing in the doorway.

"Oh my God, Padfoot. You can't be serious." groaned James.

"Actually, I am Sirius." said Sirius, grinning.

"Mate, that pun was funny in first year. Not anymore." said James, but he laughed none the less. Sirius shrugged, laughed, and backed out of the room.

"Leave it to him to ruin the moment. Come on, then. Let's go!" said Lily, grabbing James' hand.

James led the way, and Lily soon found herself in the presence of Alice Potter once more.

"Oh, Nicholas. Look at them, holding hands. They are so cute together! Why don't you two sit down and talk, and James and I will go and get some butterbeers."

Lily and Nicholas walked awkwardly into the sitting room. Nicholas smoothly began the conversation.

"So tell me, Lily, what do you plan on doing after Hogwarts?"

Lily knew the answer, but she wasn't sure how Mr. Potter would take it.

"I want to become and Auror in the Order of the Phoenix and defeat Voldemort."

Mr. Potter looked stunned. He just stared at her, and then promptly walked out the room. Lily looked absolutely shocked. _Oh great. I've barely been here a half an hour, and they already think I'm a freak. _Why? Why did she have to tell him that? Why couldn't she lie and say that she was planning on taking a job at the Ministry, even though that would be like scraping a cheese grater against her head? Now Nicholas would tell Alice and the two of them would think of her as some fake, gutsy, Dark Arts associated freak. After a few minutes, James walked in the room, shaking his head.

"Oh my God, James! What did he say? I'm really sorry! Do they hate me now?" asked Lily, desperately.

"Hate you? After Dad talked to you, he talked to me. And he told me, that if I ever put a tear in your - and I'm quoting here - green eyes, or hurt a hair on your curly red head, he will personally use the Killing Curse on me." he finished with a smile.

Lily let out a sigh of relief and smiled at James.

"Thank God! I wasn't sure how he would take the news." said Lily.

"Well, he ought to be happy with it, seeing as how I'm planning on doing the same after school," said James, grinning.

"Wait, what? You're planning on becoming an Auror too?" said Lily, shocked.

"Yeah, can't wait to defeat the, er, what do they call him now?" said James, scratching his head.

"Voldemort." said Lily stiffly.

"Wow, quite the name. Have to give the bloke some points for originality, eh?" said James, grinning once again.

Lily, who normally never joked when it came to the Dark Arts, couldn't help but laugh, and playfully socked James in the arm. At that moment, Alice came bustling in the room holding many bottles of butterbeers.

"Lily, dear! Nick's just told me you want to be an Auror just like James! Oh how wonderful! You're absolutely perfect!" said Alice, pulling Lily into a hug.

All Lily could do was smile.

* * *

The next morning, Lily was the first to wake up. Having nothing better to do, she went downstairs and sat in the living room until someone else woke up. As she walked into the room, she notice many photos of the Potter family on the mantel of the fire place. She laughed at a picture of James as a baby on a toy broomstick, and her eyes continued to explore more of the Potters. All of the men in his family had the same messy uncontrollable hair, and they all wore the same round glasses. She picked up a picture of Mrs. Potter with her family, and saw that they all had hazel eyes and James' slightly crooked nose.

"Maybe our kids will have the same perfect eyes and hair," she muttered subconsciously, picturing a little boy with bright hazel eyes and tufts of jet black hair.

"Or maybe they'll be ginger kids with bright green eyes," said James, trying to fight back laughter.

Lily jumped, dropped the picture in her hand, and blushed furiously.

"James, you prick! Don't sneak up on people like that!" she yelled.

"So you think about our kids, eh?" he said, walking closer to her. Soon, he was only a few inches away.

He was too close, much too close. All Lily could see was bright hazel eyes, and soon she was lost in his fragrance, no longer aware of what she was saying.

"No, not really, I was just--" she lied, staring straight into his piercing eyes.

"I do too." interrupted James, before leaning in for a kiss.

They remained in this blissful oblivion for a few minutes, before a large snowy owl began screeching at the window sill. The couple jumped in surprise, and they both sheepishly smiled. James kissed Lily's forehead before attending to the owl that was now ripping apart the curtains with its beak.

"It's for you, Lily." said James, handing her the letter. It read:

_To Lily Evans_

_Potter Estate, Little Whinging_

_From Petunia Evans_

_4 Privet Drive, Surrey_

A feeling of dread ran through Lily's body.

* * *

**Uh oh... what does _she_ want now? ;)**

**P.S. Sorry for the 'serious, Sirius' joke... I couldn't resist. :)**


	7. The Whale's Wedding

**Sorry it took a while to update... Finals are making me crazy! Anyway, here's the rest... enjoy! **

CHAPTER SEVEN: The Whale's Wedding

Lily looked at the letter in her hand, and carefully tore it open, acting as though if she opened it too quickly, something might jump at her. She couldn't remember the last time Petunia had tried to contact her, and she felt as though this one-time communication would only bring forth bad news. She began reading.

_Lily,_

_Firstly, I would like to say that I hate this mail system with your freak people. Ruddy owls, the mess is unbelievable. Why can't you just use the Post Office? Do you know how many places I had to look for an owl that delivers mail? Secondly, who is this Potter bloke, and why are you staying with him? Anyway, the only reason I'm writing to you is because Mum and Dad have made me. They feel you should 'be present' at this joyous occasion. Well, I'm getting married. Vernon finally proposed to me, and I said yes. He's just the perfect man, kind and courteous, and he has all the qualities that _you_ should try to find in a man too. Well, Mum and Dad are making me invite you to the wedding next Thursday, so if you want to come you can. Vernon knows about your lot, but don't talk about the 'm' word in front of him- it disturbs him (as it rightly should). _

_ Petunia_

"Well that was kind of her," Lily snarled, handing James the letter in answer to his quizzical look. He skimmed it through.

"Oh, your sister's getting married. Do you know the bloke?" asked James.

"Yes, Vernon Dursley. His personality is even worse than his name. Big, fat bloke, I used to call him the whale when I first met him. He talks about nothing but drills, and trying to hold a conversation with him is just about as much fun as eating Cockroach Clusters." said Lily, surprised at her impressive summary of Vernon.

"Oooh, exciting!" said James sarcastically, grinning. "So are you going?"

"I really don't want to see Petunia, but it'll be nice to see Mum and Dad again. But that'll mean I have to last through the wedding, which might be bearable if..." Lily strayed off, and then smiled sweetly at James.

James looked taken aback, but a few moments later, he understood what she was asking him.

"What? Lily, no! I can't. I don't even know them. Plus, you're not supposed to show up with more of 'our lot', remember? I'm just a big reminder of the 'm' word." said James, waving the letter in the air.

"Well, you're not the only one whose told their parents. Mum and Dad would love to meet you!" she said, but James only shook his head. Lily sighed, but there was a look in her eyes that simply said, _I'm going to get what I want_.

"And don't you want to show Petunia how much better you are than Vernon, and tell her that I have found a man with all the qualities of her standards?"

James looked at her, and groaned._ Bingo._

"You are a terrible person, you know that right?" he said, his grin slowly coming back on his face.

"Yeah, I've heard." said Lily triumphantly, before laughing.

* * *

After spending Christmas day with the Potters, Lily and James prepared to leave for Surrey, which was where Petunia's wedding was taking place. After making a quick stop at a dress store to buy appropriate Muggle clothes for the wedding, James and Lily Apparated on the Evans' front porch. There, they were greeted by Charlotte Evans, who in her own way, was as doting as Alice Potter.

"Lily, darling! How are you? It's so wonderful to see you again! How is school dear? And you must be James! My, you're very handsome, aren't you! Lily's told us all about you, dear! Come in, come in, I've just prepared some tea!" said Mrs. Evans, motioning the kids to come inside the house.

James, who like Lily when she had met Alice for the first time, silently took all of this in, and glanced at Lily, who smiled reassuringly as if to say, _All mothers are like that_. James laughed, and Lily grabbed his hand and led him inside the modest house. There, she introduced him to Colin Evans, who was a quiet, yet thoughtful and and gentle man. Then, Lily led him into the backyard, and James finally got a look at Vernon and soon-to-be Petunia Dursley.

The look on James' face said it all. Petunia was nowhere near Lily in looks, her eyes didn't twinkle and shine like her sister's, nor did her hair achieve that careless bounciness so present in Lily. Long necked and horse faced, there was absolutely no resemblance between the two sisters. James tried to compose himself, so as to not show his surprised feelings, but failed. The 'whale', was just as Lily had described him. Vernon was short and stout, and James, who was younger, could still tower over him. He had a big mustache, obviously kept to give the appearance of maturity and seriousness. In James' opinion, however, he just looked like a purple rhinoceros with blonde facial hair.

Still though, this couple was related to Lily, so James put on his best face, and stuck out his hand.

"I'm James Potter. It's nice to be able to finally meet you after all Lily's told me." he said, careful not to mention exactly _what _Lily had told him.

Vernon looked at James' hand as though touching it might burn him. He reluctantly shook the side of James' hand with his thumb and forefinger for the briefest moment, before smiling a forced smile that made his ugly face look, well, uglier.

"I'll bet you're happy to be normal people, eh?" said Vernon.

James looked taken aback. He glared at Vernon, but then softened his expression.

"Well, we were, but you'll have to do." James smiled sweetly.

Lily tried to (unsuccessfully) stifle her laughter, and James winked at her. Vernon looked livid. Petunia addressed James.

"So you're the Potter I had to send that God awful owl to. Are you two, like, together?" she asked in a snotty voice, pointing her bony fingers at them.

"Yes. We very much are." said Lily defensively.

"Look how sweet Vernon! She found another tosser at that freak school of hers." said Petunia, to which Vernon chuckled.

Lily opened her mouth, but words came out of James' as he pulled out his wand.

"Yup, that's us. Two _wizards _who attend _Hogwarts School of Whichcraft and Wizardry _to do _magic _and learn _spells_." said James toying with the wand in hand, a vindictive smile on his face.

He pointed his wand at Vernon, muttered a spell, and soon, Vernon's blonde mustache had turned hot pink.

Petunia look shocked and froze on the spot. Vernon turned even more purple (as if that was possible) and looked like he was having a seizure. Lily closed her eyes, and began to silently shake with laughter. Pretty soon, her laughs became audible, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Vernon seemed to finally come out of his stupor, and began shaking violently.

"You. Fix. This. _Now_." he said, enunciating every word.

"No, I think it compliments your skin. And with the tuxedo, you'll look smashing." James winked.

"You fix this now, you freak!" screamed Petunia.

"Oi! No need to get your knickers in a twist!" said James, and he pointed his wand once more at Vernon, ignored his flinching, and returned the color of his mustache to blond. Petunia, though thoroughly disgruntled by what had just happened, tried to shake it off, and smiled at Vernon.

"Come on, dear. Let's go look at the floral arrangements." she said, acting as though looking at flowers was the perfect remedy to the traumatic incident he had just faced.

Vernon only grunted, but allowed Petunia to drag him back to the house. Lily, who was silent through all of this turned around to James, and smiled widely in awe.

"You're amazing." she said.

"Yeah, I've heard." he quoted, and laughed.

* * *

Lily and James walked into the marquee for the wedding on a gloomy and dark Thursday. James found the weather to be rather symbolical saying that "This is how the rest of their lives will be too." As they reached their table, they saw more of Vernon's relatives, who looked exactly like him, causing there to be fives times the ugly. The couple mostly kept to themselves, seeing as how no one from Vernon's family could possibly be better than the man himself.

Once the wedding vows were over, Vernon asked Petunia to dance, who, in turn, burst into tears and dramatically accepted. Lily rolled her eyes, and nodded at the dance floor, raising her eyebrows in question. James grinned, and led her there. They wrapped their arms around each other, and James looked down at Lily.

"You know, when I pictured our wedding, I--"

"Didn't picture it to be an ugly parade?" said Lily, finishing his thoughts.

"Yeah," he smiled. "And I wouldn't--"

"Make it a huge deal? Have a be a small do with a few people?" said Lily, smiling.

"Wow. And you said you hadn't thought about this," said James.

"Well, not about our wedding. Our kids, I have. Speaking of, I feel so sad for their child. He'll end up being--"

"A pig in a wig." said James, doubling over laughing. He regained composure before saying, "Unlike ours, though. Our's will be a handsome ginger boy with bright green eyes like his mother."

"No, ours will have a mop of black hair, and hazel eyes like his dad." said Lily.

"Fine, we'll compromise. He can have my hair, and your eyes."

"Sounds good," said Lily, laughing. "And we'll name him--"

"Harry." said James, surprising himself.

"Why Harry?" asked Lily.

"I don't know. It just sounds like a name of someone who'll be great."

"Well, with parents like us, he will be." Lily smiled. "All right then. To our son, Harry Potter.

James and Lily smiled, and they both laughed at the though of their hypothetical child. Lily realized that they had never straight out talked about their lives together after Hogwarts, and the prospect of being able to do so seemed out of this world.

"Yeah, that's it. Harry Potter." said James, smiling.

* * *

**reviewwwsss? :)**


	8. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

**Okay, so first of all, I owe you all a HUGE apology for just dropping my story, and not writing for basically two months. The end of school was CRAZY, and I was super busy studying for finals, so I didn't have a chance to write. I really want to apologize, and I promise, the rest of the story will come much faster. (:**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

After making it out alive from "The Whale's Wedding" (as James so lovingly put it) Lily and James only got closer after returning to Hogwarts. They were inseparable; hardly leaving each other's sides. Lily was so happy, and was mostly cursing herself these days, wondering as to why she hadn't done this before. The two talked for hours on end, and Lily could honestly say that she knew all there was to know about James Potter. Or so she thought.

"Why do they call you Prongs?" Lily asked James one night in the Common Room.

They were both sprawled across the carpet near the fireplace, and Lily was resting her head on James' chest. She straightened up, and looked in to his eyes. He broke out of his stupor and gently smiled.

"It's just a nickname." he said, sitting up as well.

"I know, but why Prongs? Is your favorite utensil a fork?" she smiled.

"Haha. I haven't heard that before. No, it has to do with our favorite animals," he said, shrugging.

"So your favorite animal is a-"

"Stag." James finished.

"A stag." said Lily, laughing. She'd never known that before. "Why?"

"You know, they're big majestic creatures. Something I can relate to," he winked.

"And I thought you weren't bigheaded anymore." Lily laughed. "And the rest of them? They all have 'favorite animal' nicknames as well?"

"Yeah, Sirius is Padfoot, which is a dog. Peter is Wormtail, which is a rat. And Moony…" James abruptly stopped. His eyes grew big, and he looked shocked.

"James? What is it? Moony is a…" pressed Lily.

"No, I can't. I should have never said that."

And with that, he swiftly left the room.

The next day, however, James was perfectly back to normal, though whenever Lily tried to brooch the topic again, he instantaneously changed the subject. That night, while Lily was sitting in the Common Room with James, Sirius abruptly came in the room looking both anxious and excited. He gave a curt nod and smile to Lily to acknowledge her presence, but soon turned his attention to James.

"Prongs, it's tonight mate. He's been looking peaky for days. Me and Wormtail will be waiting near the statue of Eric the Oddball in fifteen minutes, where we usually meet. Bring the cloak, Moony will be in the Shack, ready."

Soon, James had the same expression on his face as Sirius, and he nodded, and gave a nervous smile. Sirius deemed this reaction to be sufficient, patted James on the shoulder, and promptly left the room. Lily, on the other hand, was as confused as ever; Sirius could have been speaking another language for all she could make out.

Lily looked at James, and raised her eyebrows, but James only shook his head.

"Well? You can't expect me to not ask what that was all about."

"I can't. I'm sorry." said James.

"Look, I know something's been going on. Don't think I don't know-"

"It's not my secret to tell! I can't, honestly. Will you just let it go?"

Lily had never heard James snap at her, but she needed to find out what was going on. She tried again, this time more gently.

"Okay. I understand. Is there anything you can tell me about this? Anything at all?"

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you earlier. I just can't. I have to go. I'm sorry." he smiled, quickly pecked Lily on the lips, and went up to the dormitory. Moments later he reappeared holding the silvery cloak, gave Lily a shaky smile, and left through the portrait hole.

Lily stared deeply into the fire. What was going on that James wasn't telling her? And Sirius saying that someone was looking peaky… Lily had known that the four friends were very close, and she knew that the nicknames were something they used as a 'Marauder thing', but maybe there was more to it. And James, Sirius and Peter suddenly leaving… Something didn't add up. Even before Lily was dating James, she knew that something was up with them. Once every month, all four friends looked worn out, tired, and covered in cuts and bruises. Remus looked worse of them all. She thought about it over and over, trying to riddle it out in her head. _Prongs… James is a stag. Padfoot is Sirius. Wormtail is Peter. Moony… Remus is Moony. What animal is related to the moon? Once a month… Moon… Animal… _Suddenly Lily froze. Her stomach dropped, and she realized what she had been to oblivious to notice before. Werewolf. Remus Lupin was a werewolf. And all three of them - James, Sirius, and Peter - they were all Animagi. _Illegal _Animagi. And tonight was Remus's transformation. And they were all going into the Shrieking Shack under James' invisibility cloak to go with him. And transform.

She jumped up, and paced around the room. Her brain was running frantically, she had no idea what to do next. She thought about telling the teachers, but she knew that James would never forgive her. She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans and thought about what she could do to save her boyfriend from being bitten by a fully transformed werewolf. She stared at the Whomping Willow from the window. _Of course. That leads to the shack! _She grabbed her cloak and wand, and set through the portrait hole herself.

As soon as she she stepped out from the warm Gryffindor Common Room, she was engulfed by cold and darkness.

"_Lumos!_" she whispered, and wrapped her cloak more tightly around her body.

She made her way through the stairs, and managed to get to the outside Grounds by wandlight. She walked to the Whomping Willow, debating what she should do next. She pulled out her wand and yelled,

"_Immobulus!" _

and the tree suddenly became still. Lily followed the path in the tree, and soon she heard howling. She panicked. What was she supposed to do now? At the time, Lily was only thinking about James, but now, she had to worry about herself, too. How was she supposed to take on a fully transformed werewolf? She froze in her spot, willing herself to go on. Soon, the howling sound became more defined, almost like it was heading her way.

A wave of alarm ran through Lily. She saw movement ahead, and soon she was staring three huge defined profiles in the dark. One looked like a giant wolf, that seemed intent on ripping a dog to pieces, while a giant stag tried to get the wolf to stop. She stared at the stag, and in a moment James stared back. He roared, and began to run in Lily's direction, forgetting about Remus and Sirius. For a moment everything stopped. The wolf stopped trying to attack the dog, and howled hungrily in Lily's direction. James, who was standing between Remus and Lily pounced on it.

Sirius jumped on the wolf from the back, giving James sometime to run in Lily's direction. He ran up to Lily, his eyes gleaming, and she frantically thought of what to do next. She clambered onto the stag's back, and soon the animal began to run. He ran out the path and back onto the Hogwarts ground, shook Lily off his back, and ran back into the passage to the Shack.

Lily took many deep, shaky breaths, and thought of what to do. It was still dark out, dawn was a few hours away. She decided that it was just best to wait for all of them to come, and she sat by the immobilized tree. She closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Lily woke just as dawn approached. She stood up, and peered into the hole in the tree. Soon, the stag and the dog appeared, dragging the body of a thoroughly disheveled and bloody Remus Lupin. The stag looked in Lily's direction, and continued to walk towards the castle. When he passed Lily, he gently nudged her, almost as if to tell her to follow him. They all walked to the castle together, but just before they entered, the stag returned to James' form, the dog Sirius, and the rat Peter. Lily carefully avoided James' eyes, and he did the same. They walked up the Hospital wing, where they saw Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them.

James and Sirius placed Remus on the bed, and Madam Pomfrey began tending to him right away. Then she looked back at the two boys.

"Are you hurt?"

James and Sirius shook their heads. Madam Pomfrey nodded and said,

"Very well, you may go."

Lily, James, and Sirius made their way through the castle, and soon they found themselves in the Common Room once more. Sirius said,

"I'm going to bed mate. See you at lunch."

and he walked up to the boys' dormitories. James motioned Lily to the couch, and the two sat in silence for a few moments. Lily decided not to be the one to break it.

"Lily." James closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "What the bloody hell were you thinking? Why would you do something like that?"

"I could ask you the same." Lily mumbled.

"You know, taking on a werewolf is enough. I don't need you to be added to the mix too."

"I know. I'm sorry, but I'm not saying sorry for the fact that you were wrong. Running around with a werewolf? What is wrong with all of you?"

James sighed deeply before speaking.

"Okay. Now that you know, I'll just explain everything. We found out that Remus was a werewolf in second year. He thought that after we found out, we would leave him. But honestly, that made us even closer. We knew that we had to help Remus. He was one of our best mates, and we had to do something for him. So all of us became Animagi."

"Oh my God! That's-that's-" said Lily, clearly at a loss for words.

"Lily. It's not as cool or interesting as it seems. There's a reason the Ministry supervises all transformations. There are so many things that could go wrong. And it was really difficult; Peter barely made it. But, we finally managed in fifth year. And ever since, we've been going with Remus when he transforms. And I know you think it's wrong and dangerous, but honestly, it was all we could think to do to help our mate."

Lily stared at him in awe. She knew that James was extremely loyal, and that Sirius, Remus, and Peter were probably the only people he cared for just as much as her, but this was something incredible. She looked at him, and gently kissed him.

"You're amazing. I'm so sorry for everything." she smiled. "So what's it like, then? Transforming?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

James chuckled before talking, and his whole face lit up.

"Unbelievable. Unlike anything you can imagine. It's like when I become a stag, everything sort of melts away. I don't feel worried or stressed about anything. It's amazing."

Lily smiled. She'd never seen him like this before. She cuddled up close to him and said,

"You're incredible. I love you."

James just smiled and kissed her softly.

* * *

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated. (: **


	9. Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests

**Just to recap: I'm not JK Rowling… Obviously anything you recognize is not mine. Onward!**

**

* * *

Chapter 9: Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests**

After the fiasco on the night of the full moon, Remus approached Lily in the Great Hall at breakfast.

"Hey Lily, could I have a word?" he said.

Lily, who knew exactly what this was about, silently nodded, and led Remus into the empty classroom off the Great Hall. Once they were there, Remus awkwardly twiddled his hands, and stared at the floor. Lily remained silent. Finally, he looked up at her, though he didn't meet her eyes.

"James and Sirius told me what happened that night. And I just want to say I'm sorry. I honestly had no control over what happened, but I'm not trying to make excuses. I can't tell you how sorry I am. And I know that you're going to say it's okay, but it's really not, and I understand if you don't want to speak to me anymore."

Once he finished speaking, he resumed his twiddling, and stared at the floor once more. Lily debated how to answer.

"Remus, I'm not angry at you. It's not your fault! Why would you even think-"

"It is my fault! You could have gotten seriously hurt, probably even killed-"

"Stop! It wasn't your fault. If anything, it was mine. I should have never gone after James and the rest of them. I was stupid. And don't try denying it."

Remus remained silent.

"At first I was angry that James, Sirius, and Peter ran around with a werewolf," -Remus winced- "but then, it just proved how close you four are. You're a great person, Remus, and you aren't defined by the fact that you're a werewolf. It's just a….condition. And now, along with James, Sirius, and Peter, you have another friend." said Lily.

Remus finally looked up at her. Lily smiled, and pulled Remus in for a brief hug. Remus looked shocked, but remained silent and together, they began to walk back to the Great Hall. Just as they were about to turn into the room, Remus said,

"Thanks."

and Lily smiled. They walked to where the rest of the Marauders were sitting, where James and Sirius were intently reading a pamphlet labeled _"Cram it!: How To Soar On Your NEWTs"_. **(****a/n I got this from Order of the Phoenix… Ron was reading it at breakfast, so I just changed it to NEWTs****)** Peter was looking gloomily into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Apparently you're supposed to study for Charms before Transfiguration. I don't see why though…"

"Damn, I haven't been able to make glass turn into ice yet… do you think we'll have to know that?"

"You don't think we have to know ALL of the planets' rotations at midnight on the 6th?"

"Oh shit! I have to practice a corporeal Patronus…what does corporeal mean? "

"Or maybe, you should have started studying a long time ago." interrupted Lily.

Both James and Sirius jumped; they obviously hadn't seen her come in.

"So you're all done studying then? Exams are in a week. Who am I kidding, you've probably already made your study guides and color coded your schedules." said Sirius.

"Shut up," said Lily indignantly. "Of course I'm not done studying yet. And yes, I have made my study guides," -Sirius smirked and Lily blushed- "which is something I recommend you do! At least I'm not reading a "_Cram It!" _pamphlet." Lily shot back.

"Marauder Rule Number One: Don't study until you absolutely have to." Sirius grinned.

"Nice bright futures you're all going to have," mumbled Lily.

"They always make a big deal out of NEWTs," said James. "But they're really going to be easy. What, we just have to study for Charms, and Divination. And Defense Against the Dark Arts. And Transfiguration. And Potions." he added. "Five subjects. No big deal."

"Speak for yourself. Lily and I are taking nine NEWT courses. Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, Transfiguration, Arithmancy…" he faltered, then gulped. "And Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions." he finished with a grave look in his eyes. **(a/n I don't know if taking nine NEWTs if physically possible unless you have a Time Turner, but if I could pick two people who would be able to, it would be Remus and Lily… and Hermione. Okay, so three...) **

Sirius and James let out a low whistle.

"Good luck with that. If you come out alive, give us a call." said Sirius.

"Shut up. Remus, it's not that bad. The teachers will help," Lily said. "We're going to be fine."

Though Lily was certain that they would be okay, in the next few days, her statement most certainly proved to be incorrect. As for the teachers, the last thing they were was helpful.

"What do you mean you can't turn a whistle into a pocket watch, Mr. Black?" said McGonagall sternly in class. "We covered this in third year!"

"Oh, right. How silly of me to forget magic we learned when we were thirteen!" hissed Sirius.

McGonagall, unfortunately, heard that.

"It is! And if you fail your NEWT, it will be _your _fault! Everyone listen!" she barked. "You are all NEWT students, and are expected to be able to cope with the studies that this course requires! It is not my responsibility to make sure that you remember how to turn an animal into a water goblet! This course it difficult, it is probably easier to become an Animagus than do all the transfiguring we have done," - Sirius and James mumbled "Too true," - "but you must be prepared!" she finished.

Though Remus and Lily were the only studious ones, everyone took McGonagall's words to heart. All seventh year Gryffindors spent every waking moment in the common room memorizing potions, practicing spells, and identifying plants. And no one was having a harder time than poor Peter. It seemed that Peter had given up trying entirely, and was instead utilizing his time moping about his impending failures. This was more than James, Sirius, or Remus could tolerate. Lily, who was intently studying, didn't pay any attention to the group until she heard a loud smack.

"Pull yourself together man!" shouted James, hitting Peter on the head once more with his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_.

"Yeah! Have we ever let you fail? You're only taking three courses!" said Sirius, shaking Peter.

"We turned you into an Animagus! Surely you can pass a NEWTs!" hissed Remus.

"I can't, I'm going to fail," said Peter.

Another smack.

"Shut up, and study with us. Now, to rip, divide, or separate objects into parts, one must use the Severing Charm, and it's incantation is _Diffindo_…"

And they were off again. The group of friends studied late into the night, and by the end, they hoped they had prepared enough to at lease get an Acceptable… and stay away from Trolls.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, it seemed like the entire Great Hall was swept by a cloud of depression. Even the underclassmen knew better than to be excited on the first day of NEWTs, because they knew that would only result in being beat up by the seventh years. Though both Sirius and James were nervous themselves, they tried to calm down Lily and Remus, who were stirring their porridges with hollow eyes, and Peter, who looked like he was about ready to hyperventilate.

"It will be fine." said James. "We just have Charms and Transfiguration today. And Arithmancy." he added, after Lily and Remus glared at him. "Theory, Practical. Four exams- er, five. And it's really easy. Though this is McGonagall, so… and Flitwick was hinting that he was going to put in the Epoximise or Homorphus charm that we haven't practiced…" he stopped speaking as soon as he realized that that was opposite of the point he was trying to make.

"Thanks, mate, that was really helpful. No, listen, we will be fine. McGonagall is bad, but that's to be expected. And do you really believe that Flitwick will put in all the spells that we had to learn? He can't even reach that shelf of books in the library." said Sirius, shrugging. "Once we do a few exams, it'll get easier."

That seemed to cheer up Remus, Lily, and Peter far more that anything James had to say.

After breakfast, all seventh years were asked to wait outside the Great Hall while individual desks were placed inside for the exam. Once that had been done, everyone stumbled around to find the desk that had their name on it. Lily found hers, sat down at once, and began to take a few calming breaths.

_ "It's okay, it's Theory of Charms. You know this so well." _she repeated to herself.

Once squeaky little Professor Flitwick passed out the exam, Lily flipped it over, and read the first question.

_"What charm would you use if you were asked to breath underwater for a few hours?"_

She relaxed, and answered,

"_Bubble-Head Charm."_

Once Lily got into her rhythm, the rest of the exam was fairly easy. She finished with plenty of time to spare, and after checking over her answers, she caught James' eye, who grinned at her. She smiled back, and before she knew it, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.

Sirius turned out to be correct; the stress of exams did get better. Once she finished Theory of Charms, the practical didn't scare her nearly as much. Professor Flitwick came out of the Great Hall, and led the students into the foyer off the Great Hall where the practical was to be administered. Students were called into the examination in alphabetical order, which meant the Lily was in the first group. Flitwick called off the names of the students off an enormous scroll; one that was about two feet longer than he was.

"Abbott, Amanda!" said Flitwick, as loudly as his squeaky voice would allow him. "Bernard, Michael! Black, Sirius! Dean, Hannah! And Evans, Lily! Would you please follow me into the examination room!"

As they turned to go with Flitwick, James, Remus, and Peter wished Lily and Sirius good luck. To this, Sirius responded,

"I don't need luck, it's one of the benefits of being awesome."

and Lily groaned. They both walked into the foyer, where the group of students waited anxiously for what was next. The examiner, an old, gentle looking witch, wore bright green robes, and a bejeweled ring on every one of her stubby fingers.

"Hello. Welcome to your Charms Practical. I will ask each of you to produce a variety of Charms, and you will be judged based on the quality, form, and strength of it. If you could all form a line, we will begin with you placing the Silencing Charms on these toads."

She Summoned the box that contained the toads from the corner of the room, took one out, and held it firmly in her hand to keep it from escaping.

Amanda Abbott, a nervous looking Hufflepuff, was called first. She shakily took out her wand, and tried to muster up some confidence.

"S-s-silencio!" she said, pointing her wand at the toad.

The toad, instead of silencing, croaked more loudly than ever, and bounced out of the examiner's hand, almost as if Amanda's spell had given him an extra boost of energy. The examiner took out her clipboard, made a few markings, then Summoned the toad back into her hand. Amanda looked like she was on the verge of bursting out into tears.

"No matter, no matter," said the examiner. "Bernard, Michael!"

Michael Bernard, a Slytherin, was nowhere near as shaky as Amanda, and he confidently pointed his wand at the toad.

"Silencio!" he hissed.

The toad stopped in mid-croak, and no more sound came out of it's mouth. The examiner gave a nod of approval, made a few more markings on her clipboard, and pulled a fresh new toad out of the box, one that was still croaking.

Sirius approached his toad the same way Michael had, and confidently muted it. The next girl, Hannah, appeared to be certain, but when she muttered her spell, her toad began to inflate instead of quieting. What ensued was many fruitless minutes of trying to catch the toad. After the examiner finally managed to take hold of and puncture the toad, Lily was called up. She pulled out her wand, and thought the charm with all her might.

"_Silencio!_"

The toad silenced. Lily managed to quite the toad using a nonverbal spell. The examiner looked at her with an amused expression.

"I don't think I asked you to use a nonverbal spell. No matter, extra points because you did!" she said, making more markings on her clipboard.

After that, Lily was unstoppable. She completed everything the examiner asked her to do with flying colors, throwing in a few other nonverbal spells. As she left the room, she was confident that she had gotten at least and 'Excellent' on her Charms N.E.W.T.

After Charms, Lily had her transfiguration exam. Although everyone feared this exam the most, Lily found it to be rather easy, and was almost disappointed with Minerva McGonagall. The practical turned out the be even easier than the theory. Once Transfiguration was done, James and Sirius went up to the Common Room to meet Peter (he only had one NEWT today - Charms), seeing as how it was their last exam of the day. Lily and Remus walked once more inside the Great Hall, to take their Arithmancy exam. Lily wasn't scared at all. Arithmancy had always been one of her favorite subjects, and she was certain that she would be able to decode the complicated numbers and charts the subject constituted; in fact, she found the exam to be rather enjoyable.

After both her and Remus finished, they too went up to the Common Room, where they saw that, instead of playing Exploding Snap like they normally did, James, Sirius, and Peter were intently studying for tomorrow's exams. Lily and Remus sighed, and pulled out their own books. They had a long night.

**

* * *

Okay, so that's that. This chapter will have a continuation (NEWTs: Part Two), because otherwise, it would have been WAY too long. Also, sorry that I didn't go into detail about the Transfiguration and Arithmancy exams, I just wanted to give you an idea of what (I think) exams are like. Also, I'm sorry if the level of magic is different for seventh years, I just took most of the magic that they learned out of the various books and movies. Reviews would be great!**

**P.S. DEATHLY HALLOWS! What are people doing to get ready? My friends and I are planning on dressing up as members of Dumbledore's Army when we go see the movie! (:**


	10. Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests II

Again, I'm a BAD updater. But I'm also a newbie, so I was hoping you'd cut me some slack! (: Here's the rest of the exams!

**

* * *

**

CHAPTER ELEVEN: NEWTS: Part Two

After the first day of NEWT exams, all seventh years began to loosen up a little bit. The Great Hall the next morning was no longer filled with pin drop silence; and all last year students began to eat and talk again. Lily and Remus however, were still just as nervous as they were the day before, and were anxiously looking through sheaves of notes and textbooks to prepare further for the day's exams. James and Sirius, who were normally never scared for exams to begin with, had gotten over their fears of final year testing with their exams yesterday. They pitched in to offer better words of comfort to Remus and Lily, and of course, poor Peter, who still looked like he would rather jump into the Black Lake infested with merpeople, than take his only examination of Divination today.

"All right gang. Today we have Potions and Divination. And Care of Magical Creatures," James added hastily. "Old Sluggy will be easy, but he's sometimes thrown in potions that we haven't covered… and you can never trust the old bat Trelawney… who knows…she'll make us know what happens when Uranus and Mars get too friendly, or when all of Jupiter's moons are aligned…Hey!" he shouted when wet cereal and soggy pieces of bread flew his way.

"_Scourgify_," Lily muttered glumly, and James was clean of toast and oatmeal.

"I was trying to help!" James said indignantly.

"Okay, then _help _us by keeping your trap shut nice and tight." said Remus.

"Yeah, just don't listen to Prongs and you'll be fine," said Sirius, throwing one last piece of egg at James.

James was in a rather sulky mood for the next few minutes, but as they walked down to the dungeons for the potions exam, and the pretest jitters began to set in, he took Lily's hand. Lily squeezed it firmly, and tried to give and encouraging smile to him, though she felt like puking herself. They entered the dimly lit room for the theory exam, and everyone stumbled to find their desk. Lily found hers, and began the calming process she had mastered yesterday. Slughorn was proctoring this exam, and as he crossed the room to get to the front, he gave Lily a wink and patted her back. Lily took a deep breath, and plunged into the exam.

After the theory and practical of Potions (both of which were super easy for Lily), the group of friends went by the trees near the lake, and studied for their upcoming Divination and Care of Magical Creature examinations. As they found a spot in the shade, they saw that Snape was sitting not too far away, his greasy hooked nose nearly touching the parchment he was intently writing on. A horrible feeling of déjà vu was in the air as Sirius began towards his target. Lily reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No, stop! Don't go towards him! I don't want anyone hexing the other!" Lily said firmly.

"Who said I was going to hex him?" said Sirius, surprised.

"Were you?" Lily asked tiredly.

"Well, I… uh…what's it to you anyway? This is our fight. The slimeball needs to be taught a lesson anyway, spending all his time with gits like Mulciber and Avery," said Sirius, as he began towards him again.

Lily grabbed his arm again, and yanked him back.

"Stop! I'm Head Girl, and I'll make sure you're doing detention every night for the rest of your Hogwarts year." said Lily.

"Detention? Bring it." said Sirius with a vindictive smile.

"James!" said Lily.

James gulped. He'd been dreading this. Even he'd hoped that Sirius would just back off, because he knew it was only a matter of time before Lily would pull out the 'Head Girl' card. And what went with the Head Girl card? Yes, the Head Boy card.

"Er, yeah maybe you shouldn't…" began James, and Sirius shot him a look. "I mean, he is a cretin, and deserves—" James fell silent when he caught Lily's eyes. "But that doesn't mean that you should…" he stopped speaking and awkwardly twiddled his hands.

"Listen. You back off, or I'll make sure… that you won't be able to play in the Quidditch final." said Lily with a vindictive air.

"You wouldn't." breathed Sirius, as he took a step forward.

"Try me." Lily said, stepping forward as well, almost nose to nose with him.

"Okaaaaay." said Remus, trying to ease the tension. "Exams, remember? Let's go study."

He reluctantly dragged Lily and Sirius, James and Peter coming in tow. They opened their books, and soon became lost in the world of planet rotations, Thestrals, moons, and Hippogriffs.

* * *

The next day was the final day of exams, and everyone at Hogwarts was immensely happy for that. James and Sirius had already planned an end of exams prank; Remus and Peter were too nervous to participate. Once Remus and Lily had finished their Runes and Herbology exams, everyone once again met in the Great Hall foyer for their last and final NEWT, Defense Against the Dark Arts practical. Before Lily and Sirius could go for their test, James pulled aside Lily, and said,

"Once we've both finished meet me near the edge of the Black Lake. I have something to ask you."

Lily looked apprehensive, but James gave her a smile as if to say it was no big deal. With this new development in the back of her head, Lily once again walked with Sirius into the Grand Foyer, where the examiner, this time a middle-aged wizard in no nonsense black robes, was standing. Once again, he asked the students to perform basic charms, and they each had to face a Boggart.

"All right, now for the final test. If you could all please produce a Patronus."

The first few students all had different strengths of the charm. Some were feeble, some managed to produce a corporeal one, and others could only produce a shield.

As Lily stepped up, she thought of the happiest feeling she could, which happened to be her meeting with James after exams were _finally _over. But, instead of the cheerful terrier that was supposed to burst forth, a silvery doe began prancing around the room. She heard Sirius guffaw from the back of the room, and felt her cheeks burn bright red. The examiner noticed nothing however, and gave her a small smile before marking his clipboard.

"_Oh, well that's pretty obvious." _Lily thought to herself.

Once the exam was complete, she and Sirius walked out of the room, where they saw that only Remus had completed his NEWT, and he started to make his way towards them.

"Did it go okay, then? I personally found it much easier than I expected to be," he said shrugging.

"Yeah, I think it went mostly okay. Though I think Lily enjoyed conjuring her Patronus ," Sirius said, winking.

"Why's that?" asked Remus.

Before Sirius could answer, Lily socked him in the arm, and ran along the path to the Lake. When she arrived, she saw that James was already there, which was slightly surprising.

"Hey!" Lily called out. "How are you here before me?"

"Oh, a few kids got a really bad case of spattergroit, so there were only a couple of kids in my group. They'll be making up their exams tomorrow." said James shrugging. He obviously had a more pressing matter to talk about.

Lily decided to broach the topic first.

"So what's up?" she asked.

"It's really nice weather isn't it? It would be great to go for a swim," said James idly.

"James, stop beating around the bush. I know you obviously have something you need to talk to me about. So, out with it." said Lily, crossing her arms.

"Okay. I was just wondering what we're going to do after Hogwarts," said James.

Lily laughed before answering. "Oh, _that's _what you're getting at? I thought we already discussed this at your house? We're both going to be Aurors right, join the Order of the Phoenix?" said Lily.

James shook his head. "No, I don't think you understand. I mean what are _we _going to do? I mean, I obviously want to be together after Hogwarts, but I don't know how you feel." he said, looking at her solemnly.

Oh, _oh. _He was talking about _them _after Hogwarts. Lily knew that her and James would obviously have a future together after Hogwarts, and they had even joked about it at Petunia's wedding, but she just assumed that this would come way _way _later in life.

"So, what do you think? Would you want to marry me?" said James, asking the question Lily was anticipating.

Lily felt like she was hyperventilating. She knew that if she didn't talk soon, James was going to assume that she had gone into the shock. She tried to unglue her mouth.

"Wait, are you proposing to me?" she blurted.

"Well, yeah kind of. But we don't have to get married right away, I mean, I just want to let you know, er, am I supposed to talk to your father? Um, I didn't buy a ring or anything…" said James hurriedly.

"Erm, yeah, I mean," said Lily, clearly unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Let me know when you're ready," said James, nodding. "I just wanted to get it out there."

Lily nodded also, but she still didn't know how to react. James Potter had just asked her to marry her. The time had come for Lily Evans to decide if she wanted to become Lily Potter.

* * *

Also, I had originally planned to have a run-in with Snape, and kind of find out whats going on with him, but it didn't really go with the whole flow of this chapter... so that will be coming up in the next one!

Thanks, and I'll try harder with the updating!

-avadakedavra

P.S. I also realized that I'm on 20 alerts, but there are only 16 reviews... hmmm. Keep it coming, please! (:


End file.
